ultralight wrote:I wonder if anyone here use Nanofil regularly with 2 lbs fluoro or mono leader? Curious if the joint between the two line holds well and the line break elsewhere.

And did Nanofil increase your casting distance or did the know actually reduce casting distance.

I should do the tests myself... but figure I'll ask here first and if the feedback is negative, then no need to try.

Thanks

When it first came out I fished it with a 2# test FC leader for 18 months straight. Casting distance was off the charts. I had no problems with a surgeons knot breaking......that is the knot I used to tie the leader. The biggest problems was it has no abrasion resistance. My section of leader was 4 feet long. When it came out my son and I were fishing Center Hill Lake. We would catch anywhere from 75-100 Smallies a day for about a 2 month period there. My son only fished with me for 2 days a week. I fished 5 days a week. The first time I fished a small tailrace close to my home I cast and it went coast to coast across the river....LOL. That is why I loved the stuff. Here is link of me catching good shell crackers on 1# test NanoFil with 2# test FC leader. I have a love hate relationship with it to this day. Here is a pic of the size Smallies we were catching with NanoFil also.

We had 3 years of that kind of fishing at that spot. They have been working on that dam for the past 10 years and lake levels have not been back up to normal since then. After about 3 years of low water the fishing started to change. The lake was supposed to be brought back to normal levels this past spring but they found another issue and was told by a gentleman from the Corp...who after asking me my age....told me that I probably would not see it back to normal in my lifetime....I’m only 67.....but we will see.

The only negative was my fault. I didn't use a backer or any tape on a spinning reel, got onto a really large fish, likely a catfish by the way it fought, and the whole mass of line spun on my reel. Again, user error but still the only line to ever do this to me personally.

A knot of any kind, terminal or junction, is always the weak point in a line . . . unless there is an imperfection in the line. So, it should break at the knot most of the time, else there was an imperfection in the line.

A better line? You might try Sufix Nanobraid in 2 lbs. test. It is so thin at .001" that there is no need for a leader and it'd likely be hard to find something small enough to attach to it anyway.

I am up to a 4 lbs. LMB, about the same size catfish and an 18" white bass, no breaks. I'd guess it has the tensile strength of 6 lbs. good mono, maybe more. I often catch bass just snacking on my ultralight lures when I am pan fishing.

Nanobraid is available up to 14 lbs. and I believe it has the same diameter as 832 in 10 lbs.

Just for interest and comparative purposes (I realise that cost rules this option out in many cases) I'm using Varivas Super Trout Advance PE 0.6 http://www.varivas.co.jp/en/Product/sea ... :2/id:1578 which has an average rating of 12lbs and diameter of .13mm / 0.005". It's an amazing line.

I have just started using 4# nano. I am not using a leader at all. I tied on a small snap swivel to be able to change hard baits. So far I have not had any issues. I used a double palomar knot to attach the Nani to the swivel.

I'll test the nanofil out. Probably 3 lbs nanofil to 2 lbs fluoro - so that if I have break off, it is the leader that breaks. But I wonder how much reduced casting distance compared to 2 lbs nanofil. I will probably pair this with a more moderate action rod since the nanofil has less stretch.

Also, Brad thanks for the mention of Nanobraid. Just checked it out and on paper, it is even thinner than Nanofil! Wow. Though I'm not sure if that makes it cast further or not. But it sure is thin!!

I had a friend who also complained about abrasion but I think that is because he was using cheaper guides. I would think that top end super slick guides such as the Fuji Torzites (expensive) would allow the super thin superlines to last longer.

Thanks again - what a great rediscovery of this board. I did not remember that there was a UL board in the days years ago when I participated more.

ultralight wrote:Thanks Everyone for the informed responses. Much helped.

I'll test the nanofil out. Probably 3 lbs nanofil to 2 lbs fluoro - so that if I have break off, it is the leader that breaks. But I wonder how much reduced casting distance compared to 2 lbs nanofil. I will probably pair this with a more moderate action rod since the nanofil has less stretch.

Also, Brad thanks for the mention of Nanobraid. Just checked it out and on paper, it is even thinner than Nanofil! Wow. Though I'm not sure if that makes it cast further or not. But it sure is thin!!

I had a friend who also complained about abrasion but I think that is because he was using cheaper guides. I would think that top end super slick guides such as the Fuji Torzites (expensive) would allow the super thin superlines to last longer.

Thanks again - what a great rediscovery of this board. I did not remember that there was a UL board in the days years ago when I participated more.

I’m not talking about abrasion in the guides. Take a look at my pic of the Smallie. Check out the lake bottom.....all rock. When a Smallie is hooked he heads for deeper water. With NanoFil one little tic of a rock and it is cut. Found that out early on. That is why I use such a long leader of FC when fishing the stuff. Most of the reservoirs I fish are rock. I still have some spools of 1# test NanoFil from when it came out...which I think was 2011. I just take it off the reels and put it back on the spool....it is as good as the day I bought it...although discolored.

Excuse my ignorance but why do you folks use such tiny line? I have never used anything smaller then 6# and it is a pain to tie. Just curious on the use of line that must be like trying to tie a knot with a piece of hair?

Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

1nutinthewater wrote:Excuse my ignorance but why do you folks use such tiny line? I have never used anything smaller then 6# and it is a pain to tie. Just curious on the use of line that must be like trying to tie a knot with a piece of hair?

Well IMHO you can use 6# test line on an UL setup but that is not true UL fishing. I have some trouble seeing the line at times but it is worth the extra time it takes for me to get the knot....leader.......jig head tied. I have gone to colored line and it helps but the mono lines I fish out of Japan are .115mm and I have used some lines that are .09mm. I use micro jigs as small as .5 gram and not going to cast too far with 6# test line...be it braid or mono. My jig heads are now all out of Japan and one of the great things about Japanese micro jigs is they have an eye double the size of micro jigs sold here in the USA. That is where I had a lot of trouble was threading the small line through the eye of the jig....but not anymore. Lighter line also allows the jig to have more action. In the end using light line lets you have a lot more fun with smaller fish.....and I’m all about the fun.

1nutinthewater wrote:Excuse my ignorance but why do you folks use such tiny line? I have never used anything smaller then 6# and it is a pain to tie. Just curious on the use of line that must be like trying to tie a knot with a piece of hair?

Well IMHO you can use 6# test line on an UL setup but that is not true UL fishing. I have some trouble seeing the line at times but it is worth the extra time it takes for me to get the knot....leader.......jig head tied. I have gone to colored line and it helps but the mono lines I fish out of Japan are .115mm and I have used some lines that are .09mm. I use micro jigs as small as .5 gram and not going to cast too far with 6# test line...be it braid or mono. My jig heads are now all out of Japan and one of the great things about Japanese micro jigs is they have an eye double the size of micro jigs sold here in the USA. That is where I had a lot of trouble was threading the small line through the eye of the jig....but not anymore. Lighter line also allows the jig to have more action. In the end using light line lets you have a lot more fun with smaller fish.....and I’m all about the fun.

Regards

Agreed. The light line really helps your lure come alive. Actually looks like a real insect. The fall is more natural as well.